Driver side airbags are typically made from circular shaped panels so that when inflated, the airbag is symmetrical to provide thorough protection for the occupant in case of vehicular accident. The airbags also typically include internal tethers to control the excursion of the leading edge panel and help to provide the desired depth when inflated. The circular shaped front and back panels do not nest well on a given width of fabric and as a result, the nesting efficiency is not very good. For example, typical driver airbag nesting efficiency ranges between 80 and 85%, even though the rest of the bag components (such as the tethers and reinforcements) are nested in the space created between the circular pieces.
The inventor hereof has previously proposed polygonal shaped bag panels (front and rear) having more than five sides, in order to improve the efficiency of the nest. However, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, panels with about five sides or greater end up approximating the shape of a circle, and therefore have some of the drawbacks of the circular bags.